Counseling Psychology Commons^™

A Systematic Review Of Mindfulness Interventions’ Impact On Athlete Emotional Distress & Wellbeing, Trevor Nathan Tierney

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Mindfulness-based interventions’ (MBIs) effectiveness for improving wellbeing and reducing emotional distress is well-documented in both clinical and non-clinical sections of the general population (McAlarnen & Longshore, 2017). Although mindfulness has been shown to be effective with these populations, less is known about the specific effects for athletes. The effects of MBI’s for athletes may be different given that the intention for MBIs in the sport context is typically to improve performance, where in most other contexts it is not (Gardner & Moore, 2012). Furthermore, athletes are a distinct population who possess unique factors on which their wellbeing and mental health …

Family Features Of Social Withdrawal Syndrome (Hikikomori), Malagón-Amor, Luis Miguel Martín-López, David Corcoles, Anna González, Magda Bellsolà, Alan R. Teo, Antoni Bulbena, Victor Pérez, Daniel Bergé

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Family may play an important role in the origin, maintenance, and treatment of people with social withdrawal. The aim of this study is to analyze family factors related to social withdrawal syndrome.

Methods: Socio-demographic, clinical, and family data, including family psychiatric history, dysfunctional family dynamics, and history of family abuse were analyzed in 190 cases of social withdrawal with a minimum duration of 6 months that started an at-home treatment program. Data were analyzed at baseline and at 12 months.

Results: In 36 cases (18%) neither the patient nor the family allowed at home evaluation and treatment by the …

Therapist Self-Disclosure And Recall Of Therapy Content, Shivani Mansharamani, Steven Robbins

Capstone Showcase

SHIVANI MANSHARAMANI

Therapist Self-Disclosure and Recall of Therapy Content

Research Mentor: Dr. Steven Robbins

Patients’ faulty memory of what they learned in therapy is often associated with poor outcomes. One way to improve therapeutic outcome is to improve patients’ memory of therapy content. Therapist Self-Disclosure (TSD) refers to a therapist’s disclosure of personal information to facilitate the client-therapist relationship. It has been employed as a tool to improve alliance and overall treatment outcome, and has often been used to prime more client disclosure. Past research on a memory support system has been unsuccessful at significantly improving client memory. In this …

A Natural Remedy: Nbccpt Approach In School For Adhd Diagnosed, Kiran Patel

Capstone Showcase

Nature-based child centered play therapy (NBCCPT) is a non-directive approach that can be practiced by the counselor in a natural environment consisting of natural tools. The approach allows a child to lead a therapy session without the counselor’s input. Such an approach can be beneficial for children with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), especially in a school setting. Therapy in school can aid families that cannot afford outpatient therapy as well as allow counselors to track the child’s therapy progress. In school, counselors can utilize an outdoor garden to conduct NBCCPT with the help of five stages, planning, preparing, planting, …

The Effect Of Emphasizing Strengths On Readiness To Change, Taylor Dunn

Capstone Showcase

TAYLOR DUNN

The Effect of Emphasizing Strengths on Readiness to Change

Research Mentor: Dr. Steven Robbins

Researchers have called for the examination of what kind of discussion in therapy is the most beneficial. Although past literature calls for an emphasis on restructuring a client’s negative thoughts and behaviors, there has been an increasing amount of research on the benefits of using positive psychology interventions. “Strength-based approaches” in particular have shown to lead to an attainment of various clinical outcomes. This study attempts to analyze how an emphasis on character strengths influences a person’s readiness to change in comparison to a …

The Experience Of Counseling Interns And Their Perceived Preparedness Of Multicultural Counseling: A Phenomenological Study, Bianca Maria Milz

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to acquire additional knowledge into the lived experiences of counseling interns and their perception of readiness for multicultural counseling. A phenomenological approached was used to understand the lived experiences and describe the essence of the phenomenon. Master’s level counseling interns (N=8) in CACREP accredited programs were surveyed in which they responded to five open-end question related to their experience. From those responses two themes emerged, participants described their perceived preparedness related to their mindfulness and education with diverse populations. The textural and structural descriptions of responses were combined (Creswell & Poth, 2018) to arrive …

Pilot Study Of The Contributions Of Achievement-Striving And Dutifulness On Intimate Partner Violence In Intimate Dyads, Ernest M. Oleksy, Liz Goncy

The Downtown Review

The purpose of this pilot study was to further our knowledge about the interaction of trait conscientiousness of one’s self and one’s partner with the occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) as we prepare for a larger study that will utilize this pilot study’s protocol. Conscientiousness has been demonstrated to be positively correlated with increased satisfaction in couples (Malouff, Thorsteinsson, Schutte, Bhullar, & Rooke, 2010), while different facets of conscientiousness have been demonstrated to have differential effects on relational behavior, like achievement-striving and duty’s opposing effects on commitment dilemmas (Moon, 2001). Furthermore, the negative correlation between conscientiousness and deviance (Rao, …

Work Related Paternal Absence Among Petroleum Workers In Canada, Simon Nuttgens, Emily Doyle, Jeff Chang

The Qualitative Report

Work-Related Parental Absence (WRPA) is common in contemporary family life. Industries such as aviation, fishing, logging, mining, and petroleum extraction all require the employee to work away from family from short to significant periods of time. In Canada’s petroleum industry, work schedules that involve parental absence are especially common. There has been ample research conducted on the impact of military deployment on families, some research on how mining families are impacted by WRPA, and a small amount of research on the effects of WRPA among offshore European petroleum workers and their families. However, there is no research currently available that …

Healing Through Creativity And Creation: Drama Therapy As Treatment For Individuals With Eating Disorders, Hayley Werner

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

For those living with eating disorders, intervention and effective treatment can mean the difference between life and death. Conventional treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, forms of talk therapy, and Nutritional Counseling, focus solely on the psychological patterns or nutritional science of eating disorders. Though these treatments are effective for some individuals, there is a gap in treatment options that address both the mind and body as one and appeal to the humanity of patients outside of their disorder(s). Herein lies the power and potential of integrating drama therapy as a widely available treatment. Drama therapy …

Assessing The Effects Of Psychopathy, Sadism, Aggression, And Boredom Proneness On Cyber Aggression Perpetration In Emerging Adults: Is Moral Disengagement To Blame?, Taylor Nocera

Dissertations

Prior research indicates that a number of dark personality traits (e.g., psychopathy and sadism) positively predict the perpetration of cyber aggression among emerging adults (e.g., Goodboy & Martin, 2015; Craker & March, 2016; Nocera & Dahlen, 2018); however, few studies have utilized psychometrically sound measures of cyber aggression developed for use with this population. Additionally, some traits that are theoretically relevant to cyber aggression (Koban, Stein, Eckhardt, & Ohler, 2018; Slonje & Smith, 2008; Varjas, Talley, Meyers, Parris, & Cutts, 2010) and have been useful predictors of other forms of aggression have received insufficient attention in the cyber aggression literature …

Are Two Unmatched Minority Statuses Worse Than One? The Impact Of Social Status Similarities On Alliance In A Mock Clinical Interview, Roselee Jeannette Ledesma

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Strengthening therapeutic alliance through social identity matching has been a strategy used to reduce psychotherapy dropout among racial/ethnic and sexual minority clients. Limited research has examined social identity match by manipulating social identity (e.g., race/ethnicity, sexual orientation) in an analogue therapy setting. This study (1) assessed whether self-reported alliance was positively associated with theoretical proxies of alliance and (2) examined the effects of racial/ethnic and sexual orientation match on therapeutic alliance (self-reported) and proxies of alliance (perceived similarity, liking, blame, empathy, closeness, microaggression proxies, verbal validation, and open body language). Participants (N = 71) were heterosexual White women interested in …

Created For Connection: The Impact Of A Faith-Based Christian Marriage Enrichment Program, Chad N. Imhoff

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of Created for Connection (CFC), a faith based marriage enrichment program on relationship satisfaction, adult attachment style and adult attachment behavior. This study further adds to the existing knowledge base related to faith-based programs delivered in an intensive weekend format (Johnson & Sanderfer, 2016). Participants were volunteers from the local community who identified as Christian. To ascertain the effectiveness of CFC, three self-report measures were administered at three different intervals: two weeks before the program, two weeks following the program and a six-week follow-up. I measured attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, …

Complex Thinking: The Science And Spiritual Nature Of Therapeutic, Pedagogical, And Supervisory Relationships, Daniel Rzondzinski

Consensus

This article explores the similarities and differences between the therapeutic, pedagogical and supervisory relationship in the context of complex thinking and emphasizes the importance of spirituality as a central dimension of human beings. It will explain why human beings are multidimensional, have many social locations and develop complex relationships such as therapeutic, pedagogical and supervisory relationships. It will pay close attention to their structural components (complex adaptive systems; power differential; assimilation-accommodation processes; transference-countertransference; therapeutic alliance-learning alliance; and spirituality). Finally, it will reflect on the importance of the spiritual dimension, which was rejected by classical science. It explains why we consider …

Longitudinal And Geographic Trends In Family Engagement During The Pre-Kindergarten To Kindergarten Transition, Susan M. Sheridan, Natalie A. Koziol, Amanda Witte, Iheoma Iruka, Lisa Knoche

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The transition to kindergarten is foundational for children’s future school performance and families’ relationships with the educational system. Despite its well-documented benefits, few studies have explored family engagement across the pre- Kindergarten (pre-K) to kindergarten transition nor considered the role of geographic context during this period. This study examined trajectories of family engagement across the pre-K to kindergarten transition, and identified whether engagement differs for families in rural versus urban settings. Participants were 248 parents of children who participated in publicly funded pre-K programs and transitioned 1 year later into kindergarten. Home-based involvement increased from pre-K through kindergarten. School-based involvement …

Assessment Project, Caroline Hamby 5887520

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

My project presents research related to prescription drug abuse. It lays out a brief, hypothetical intervention focused on psychoeducation around potential negative effects of prescription drug abuse. It proposes that patients being placed on strong painkillers must go though a brief program before they obtain their first refill. This will hopefully result in less prescription drug abuse over time, as measured by tools assessing problematic use.

A Bereavement Support Group For The Non-Religious, Charles L. Miller

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

In American culture, the approach of many to death and bereavement is couched in religious messaging. For much of the country, this approach resonates with a mourner's worldview. However, this is not the case with a growing segment of the population: individuals who identify as non-religious. While well-meaning, common strategies intended to comfort these individuals and help them navigate the mourning process may be less than effective, and in some cases even distressing due to religious content.

The design of the proposed intervention is intended to provide a purely secular support environment in which group members explore the cultural context …

Improving Relationships, Brittany D. Dioszeghy

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

This project is a proposal for a program that improves individuals' experiences in relationships.

An Examination Of The Use Of Social Media To Improve The Psychological Well-Being Of Saudi Arabia Women, Shoaa Ahmed Dardoum

Theses & Dissertations

Social media is used increasingly for different purposes, playing an important role in peoples’ lives. It has been reported that social media is involved with the mental health profession as it offers a way to communicate with mental health providers and peers who share similar concerns. People with mental illnesses who have utilized social media to share and find mental health information have reported positive outcomes related to their mental health status. However, additional research is needed in regard to the mental health status of general populations. As such, this quantitative study was intended to examine the use of shared …

Power In The Counseling Relationship: The Role Of Ignorance, Izaak L. Williams, Peg O'Connor

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

This article explores the role of therapist self-disclosure in clinical settings. Distinctions are made between the enmeshed concepts of privacy, secrecy, and confidentiality to elucidate the role of ignorance in maintaining the power dynamics in therapeutic relationships. While some measure of privacy is essential to counseling practice, secretive behavior (in which the counselor divulges too little about themselves) can have a negative impact on the therapeutic relationship and the client’s therapeutic outcomes. There is, therefore, an under-appreciated and delicate balancing act between withholding information to protect the client and the counselor and revealing enough personal details to empower the client’s …

Dog Days Of Final Exams: Using Canine-Assisted Therapy To Reduce Stress And Improve Mood Among Community College Students, Stephanie Quintana, Michelle Borckardt, Tanvi Aditya

Quest

Psi Beta Research Project

Research in progress for Psi Beta Mentored Research Group

Faculty Mentors: Jennifer L. O’Loughlin-Brooks and Joshua Arduengo

The following paper represents research conducted by members of the Collin College chapter of Psi Beta National Honor Society. Psi Beta is the national psychology honor society for two-year colleges whose mission is “promotion and recognition of excellence in scholarship, leadership, research, and community service.” Psi Beta advisors at Collin College teach the methodological essentials of behavioral science to interested Psi Beta members and then mentor them through a multiple-step research process. Specifically, students either work independently or in …